Mutie
by The Mad Techie
Summary: What if it was not Rogue Logan found in that bar in Alberta?
1. Alone

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter One: _Alone

Author: The Mad Techie  
Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

_What if it was not Rogue Logan met in that bar in Alberta? And what if their pursuer was more deadly than Magneto?  
_  
Snow drifted down onto the battered roof, causing the old sign to creak alarmingly under the merciless winter moon.  
Shivering uncontrollably, a small shadow detached itself from the shelter of the trees and crept up to the side of the old building. Inside, enthusiastic yells and drunken laughter made the sputtering yellow light seem to quiver as it drove back the darkness.  
Climbing up on the small windowsill, the child managed to poke a special lock-opener - a thin stick with branches broken away - into the lock and scramble into the dingy bathroom. The tiles were a grimy yellow and the stench unforgettably foul, but the youngster was grateful for the warmth.  
Tugging the old jacket scrounged the day before down, the child huddled in the corner, waiting for the tremors caused by the icy Canadian night to ease.  
Then, carefully, padded to the old door, and blinked at the scrawled words there.  
They didn't mean anything to the child, of course, but somehow it was obvious they were not nice.  
They never were.

Tucking his head down to shield himself from the fierce winds, Logan stalked wordlessly to the door and entered with a curt growl to the bouncer. Making his way to the edge of the fighting cage, he tossed his jacket onto the nearest chair.  
In the background, the television was rambling a familiar theme: mutants, they're real, and on and on, as he glanced over at the bartender, who shuffled over to ask what he wanted to drink.  
"Molsons." said Logan, curtly, and jerked his chin at the cage. "What's the stakes?"  
"Three hundred, four hundred if ya can take Jimmy." The bartender indicated the massively muscled bouncer at the door, who looked over briefly with a sneer.  
"Yer on." Tossing back his drink, Logan threw his shirt onto the chair on top of his jacket.  
"Whattaya callin' yerself?" In bar's like this, a moniker was all you needed.  
"Wolverine."  
The bartender almost laughed at the lanky, wiry man, and mentally gave him about five minutes - until he saw his eyes.  
Eyes that scared the hell out of him.  
Logan entered the cage, and stretched once, then flashed a feral grin at the current champion.  
Stocky and muscled, with clumsy tattoos on his arms and chest, the other fighter returned the grin with cocky self-assurance.  
The battles were almost too easy, the fighters clumsy and slow compared to Logan's fluid grace, but he had to let out the simmering fury that blazed within him, to give his life some sort of meaning, give him a reason to make it to the next town...  
Throwing the huge brawler out of the cage with a move of his shoulder, he snorted and felt the familiar itch in his hands, forced down the desire to rip and tear and kill.  
Held on to his sanity as he defeated three more would-be fighters.

The child edged out into the smokey, smelly bar and slid into a darkened table, hoping to remain hidden.  
The last thing that was ever the youngster's desire was to be noticed.  
Lifting a tentative gaze, the youngster saw a huge cage, like something you would put animals in, and a big man being tossed around effortlessly by a slightly shorter, wiry man who's hair came up in almost-horns on either side of his head.  
A lot of places the small observer had hidden in had people fighting, but nothing like this.  
"Hey, kid, wanna make a few bucks?" The voice belonged to a slightly-wobbly - and very drunk - man who shoved his face near the smaller one's.  
The child shook a head noticable for the unevenly cut hair, knowing all too well what he wanted.  
"Aw, c'mon...." he grabbed the nervous youngster.  
And the shadow-child did the only thing available in a pathetically small arsenal - and bit him.  
Careful not to draw blood, the child dodged around him as he gave a yell of rage and scampered out the door, relived that everyone was watching the man win the latest fight.

Logan won the last fight by whipping the bouncer's legs out from under him, collected his four hundred dollars, and headed back to his truck.  
He was drumming his fingers absently to the tune on the ancient radio when a strange scent assailed his nostrils.  
_ What the_...?  
It stank. Smelled of waste and dirt and snow.  
Slamming on the brakes, he slid down, stomping to the trailer, and yanked open the door.  
Brilliant amber eyes stared at him, startled, but not fearful.  
Not fearful of him, anyway.  
_ Oh, geez_. he thought, almost angrily. "Geddown." he commanded.  
The kid did as he ordered, trembling in the cold, eyes huge as it stared up at him.  
Logan hesitated.  
One part of him wanted to not get involved, to leave the kid there and he stomped back to the cab, swung up, and started the ignition, started to drive.  
The youngster didn't say anything, just stared down the road after him, breath making tiny wisps of icy smoke as the small figure watched for a moment.  
Obviously expecting no help, the child began to make it's way toward the treeline.  
_ Dammit_! Logan slammed on the brakes.  
He couldn't do it, couldn't leave the kid alone, freezing, in the snow.  
_ Getting soft in yer old age, Logan_. he snarled at himself, but a part of him was pleased when the child scrambled up into the truck and huddled against the seat.  
He reached over to turn on the heater and the kid looked up at him, a look so full of innocence and hope and trust that he felt a strange little flicker in his chest before he slammed it back down.  
"T'anks." the kid said. Almost a chirp, a little, but living voice.  
"Yeah." He didn't look at the child, just commented gruffly, "Name's Wol - Logan."  
The kid nodded solumnly.  
"What's your name?" he finally asked.  
The eyes tipped up to his, and the kid replied, "Mutie."


	2. Shelter

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter Two: _Shelter

Author: The Mad Techie  
Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

Logan glanced over at the child, saw the seriousness in those wide eyes, but asked, "Mutie?"  
The child nodded.  
"Kid, that ain't a name. It's a..." _What? Insult? Description?_  
"Iwts awl I hawve." The tiny voice was labored and soft - a lisp and something else. But the eyes widened and a startled squeak gave him one second's view of the downed limb before he went airborne.  
Rolling frantically, ignoring the broken shoulder and ribs, he sprang to his feet just as a familiar-strange scent assailed him.  
Claws narrowly missed his neck as he dodged back with a growl, unsheathing his own claws as he spun balletically, slashing upwards as he heard a curse.  
A heavier weight bore him down, just as a tiny form threw itself at the huge, furred form.  
_God, kid, no!_  
With a swat, the child went flying, slamming unceremoniously into a tree.  
Logan saw red as he let loose a roar, letting the enraged Wolverine into his mind.  
Spinning, whirling, he and the other fought until the huge form was riddled with dripping wounds.  
Advancing, the Wolverine snarled, fangs glinting, and was almost surprised when the foe turned and ran.  
Tiny rattling sounds distracted him as he returned to sniff the downed cub.  
Rolling the awkwardly-curled body carefully onto it's back, he sniffed again, smelling inner hurts and broken bones.  
A click and he was up, defending the small figure with claws out and eyes furious, as a bright, hot flash of red blazed past his ear.  
The young man looked startled, was saying something, but the Wolverine ignored the strange sounds and returned to gently lift the cub into one arm.  
It moaned, and he patted it reassuringly.  
Something caught, the strange scent of burning became bright and he snarled a warning to the foreign alpha as hot metal flew in all directions.  
The Wolverine would have left then, but a lance of mental invasion swept into his mind, and he fell face first into the snow.

Logan woke abruptly to the hated feel of sterile.  
Someone was taping something to his chest, moving around briskly, and he stayed still, kept his breathing even, until it came close.  
Whipping the startled young woman around, he pressed his knuckles to her head, half-dragging her toward the door.  
_Let her go, please._  
A strange no-sound, but he thrust it away, feeling a brief sense of surprise from it as he used his free hand to tear loose the medical tape on his chest.  
The young woman stared at him, green eyes wide, and he took note of the odd sense of mental pressure.  
Snarling to himself, this time he thrust violently in return, forcing it away while controlling the urge to tear his way out of this strange place.  
Instead, he growled, "Where's the kid?"  
_Logan, please let her go. _This time with care. Caution.  
He sighed inwardly. Logan knew he couldn't hurt the woman, she wasn't an enemy, not really.  
Releasing her, he moved through the door, found himself in a metal-sterile, scentless hallway.

He didn't like the mental voice, it smacked of invasion, but he followed the gentle instructions because, in truth, he wasn't sure which way to go.  
When he reached an oaken door, tiny sobs where audible, and he shoved it open, startling a beautiful white-haired woman and the young man he'd seen before, this time wearing red glasses.  
A bald man sat behind a desk, and nodded a greeting, but Logan ignored him, moving instead to the couch where Mutie was huddled in a ball.  
The moment the child saw him, the small face brightened and tiny hands reached out, catching his hand. "Woghn!" the youngster managed, smiling up at him with tears still wet on a pale, heart-shaped face.  
"Yeah, kid." he replied, ignoring the looks the other three exchanged. "You okay?"  
"Nnw I'm." was the reply, wide golden-amber eyes staring up at him.  
Again, that odd flutter in his chest.  
"Child, why don't you..."  
"Mutie." said the youngster, still clinging to Logan as one hand indicated the small frame.  
"I beg your pardon?" The bald man asked, surprised.  
"Mwy naahm." the child said, looking uneasy.  
The white-haired woman suggested gently, "Why don't we go get you something to eat?"  
Mutie looked up at Logan, as though asking permission.  
"G'wan, kid. Seeya later."  
Mutie got down, and followed the woman out, glancing back at Logan a few times.  
"My name is Professor Charles Xavier." said the bald man, his attention fully on Logan.  
"Yeah?"  
The younger man shoved off from the wall and Logan cocked an eyebrow, but the seated man waved the boy off. There was affection there, the newcomer noticed, and if not for differing scents, he could have believed them to be father and son.  
"This is my school, where people such as yourself can receive guidance in their gifts."  
Logan growled, "I don't need _guidance._" It fell just short of a threat. Who _were _these people?  
"You will be safe here, from Magneto."  
"Magneto?"  
"A very powerful mutant."  
Logan snorted. "I don't needjer protection." he returned, but some of his hostility was draining away, though the wariness remained.  
"The man who attacked you works for Magneto, we believe." Clearly, Xavier was not going to get angry.  
For a moment, there was silence.  
Logan's eyes narrowed. "I ain't a team player. Where's my truck?" he demanded, curtly.  
"Pieces of it are all over Alberta." the young man said, with a faint quirk of his lip.  
"I'm afraid it was destroyed." Xavier actually sounded sorry.  
Logan felt a kind of numb pain for a moment - his whole world had been in that truck, and now it was gone. Just like that. Everything.  
"Your young companion was distraught when you were brought in for medical treatment." Xavier said, gently, dark eyes compassionate. Some losses were truly horrible, and it was clear he had some understanding of that. "We had to pull her away from you."  
"Things got nasty...._her?_" Logan's gaze snapped back to Xavier. _Of course, why not? _he snarled at himself. The kid's scent had been masked by several day's dirt, and besides that, it hadn't really mattered.  
"Would you like to stay here a few days, Logan?" Xavier's voice was coaxing. "Just until you can get things squared away?"  
"I ain't lookin' for handouts."  
"Of course not." Xavier wheeled out from behind the desk, and Logan showed no reaction at all to the handicap. "But I would like you and...Mutie...to consider becoming residents here. There is a great deal you could teach us, and perhaps...we you."  
Logan's first instinct was a flat refusal, but somehow, he didn't want to leave. Not quite yet.  
The kid would need some time to heal.  
He almost did a double-take, hiding it just in time.  
_When the hell did I start carin' about a kid?_  
But he knew he did.  
_Dammit._


	3. Finding

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter Three: _Finding

Author: The Mad Techie  
Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

Logan, having agreed - if somewhat reluctantly - to stay for a few days, made his ways down the stairs and followed the scent of the white-haired woman and Mutie.  
The moment the man entered the kitchen, Mutie flew across the tiled floor to hug his legs, peering up at him with wide, trusting eyes.  
"Hey, kid." he said, giving her a gruff pat on the back despite himself.  
"Wwgn!" she said, eyes bright as she looked up at him.  
A slight odor of dried blood made Logan frown, and he ran a fingertip down her cheek.  
"Ya okay?"  
"Swore." came the labored response.  
"C'mere, kid. Siddown." he instructed, lifting her gently into a chair.  
_What's wrong with me? _he wondered, watching the child swing her legs back and forth unconciously, crossing them at the ankles.  
"Mr. Logan?" The white-haired woman's voice was soft, serene.  
Logan glanced up at her as Mutie took a piece of bread from the plate and took a huge bite.  
"My name is Ororo Munroe."  
"Yeah." The response was gruff.  
"Welcome to the Institute."  
Mutie swallowed the wrong way and started to choke. Almost without thinking, Logan patted her back.  
"We ain't stayin'." _We?_  
Mutie's eyes lit up at the word, expression so adoring that Logan felt the tips of his ears warm.  
"I hope we can change your mind."  
Logan looked down at Mutie, who was eating silently, still clutching his hand.  
_What the hell is happening to me? _A faint warmth fluttered through his chest, and he finally sat down next to her, accepting a plate from the smiling young woman.  
"Wwwgn?" Mutie looked up into his eyes, hoping for...what? Approval?  
Logan grunted. "Eat, kid." he said, voice oddly gentle.  
"Wwwgn ehtt?" the little girl lisp-asked, eyes tipping trustingly up to his.  
With quick ease, Logan snagged a piece of toast and took a bite, watching as the child stuffed her own slice of bread into her mouth, reaching for another.  
"Slowly, child." said Ororo, gently, but the little girl snatched her hand back as though burned, flinching away from the woman.  
Logan showed his fangs briefly, a swift and not-so-subtle warning, and pulled a plate over, shovelling a generous portion of omlet and two pieces of toast onto the clear surface. Sitting it in front of Mutie, he suggested, "Chew, kid. Don't inhale."  
Mutie nodded solumnly, inching closer to where Logan sat and returning to eating.  
Ororo came over a few moments later with a large serving of omlet and toast, as well as two tall glasses of orange juice.  
Logan took one wordlessly, sliding the other glass in front of the little girl.  
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the young woman had seated herself beside him, watching them with subtle curiousity.  
"Yer one'a Wheels' pet projects?" Logan asked, while watching Mutie tear into the food as though half-starved_. No shock there_. he thought to himself_. Kid probably _is _half-starved._  
"I am a teacher." said the white-haired woman, with a suprisingly warm smile. She didn't seem offended by Logan's comment, and his opinion of her inched up a notch.  
"Yeah?" Logan turned to her. "What of?"  
"History and social studies. Some mathematics and literature." she replied, taking a sip of her own orange juice.  
Despite himself, Logan's intrest was qiqued.  
"Wwwgn?" Mutie tugged timidly on his arm.  
"Yeah, kid?"  
Her huge, golden eyes - flecked with silver near the iris, he noticed absently - stared up at him with utter trust. "Nnw dktr? Plleeees." she looked frustrated, as though the labored voice was as difficult to use as to understand.  
"Jean - Doctor Grey - wanted to run some tests." explained Ororo as Logan rested a hand on the child's skinny shoulder, feeling the bandage. "I'm afraid...Mutie...was more than a little upset and Jean finally made a brace for her injuries."  
Mutie rested her cheek against his palm, and Logan felt a surge of warmth - and fear. He still felt confused and off-balance, which made him less than inclined to friendliness.  
Somehow, though, he gave her a one-armed, gentle hug and felt her warm little body curl against him.  
"Injuries?" Logan lifted his eyebrows, while unconciously rubbing the small back soothingly.  
"Three of her ribs are broken, her shoulder badly sprained, as is her left ankle." explained Ororo, watching the subtle exchange between Logan and the child, then met his gaze. "I'd like to have her in one of my classes."  
"Nnnw dktr." whispered the child, face buried in Logan's flannel shirt. "Nnnw skewl."  
"Hey, now." Logan used his fingertips to tilt Mutie's head back, seeing tears of fear in her eyes. "Ya don't wanna go ta school?"  
The child shook her head frantically.  
Logan regarded her for a long moment, and Mutie rubbed her eyes, fighting back a yawn of exaustion.  
"We'll talk about it later, kid." Logan said, seeing the slump of her shoulders. Without thinking, he scooped the child up, feeling her head come to rest on his shoulder.  
"I'll show you to one of the guest rooms, she can sleep there without being dirturbed."

Logan lay Mutie down on the simple bed, wrapping the blankets around her frail body. When he started to turn, her small hand caught his shirt.  
"Dwnt leev me, pweez, not..."  
Though he was still not sure of why this kid had somehow become important to him, that faint, anguished plea stopped him in his tracks.  
Tugging a chair over, he folded his lanky frame into it and gently took the tiny hand in his own.  
Mutie settled down, small frame shivering faintly until she fell fully asleep.  
Logan sat silently, eyes open and senses alert, watching her sleep, his hand holding her's gently.  
And he realized, with a startled, warm shock that he was guarding her.


	4. The Rabbit and the Wolverine

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter Four: _The Rabbit and the Wolverine

Author: The Mad Techie  
Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

"I'm not sure he's good for that little girl." The young man was standing with his back to Xavier, muscles taut and voice sharp. "He's a bar-hopping psychopath..."  
"That is a bit harsh, Scott." Xavier spoke gently, but with firm authority.  
Scott Summers turned to regard the wheelchair-bound man and frowned. "He's...not a team player. And he's dangerous." Half a statement, half an accusation.  
Xavier sighed inwardly, and glanced over as the door opened, admitting a beautiful redhead bearing a clear clipboard. She smiled a quick greeting to Scott, then settled into a chair, green eyes thoughtful.  
Scott turned back to the window, posture angry, as the young woman tapped the clipboard absently.  
"From the medical results I did get, our reluctant guest has an incredible healing factor." she said, quietly. "No aging, amazing regenerative factor..."  
The young man turned back to stare at her, red flickers burning in his glasses, obviously curious despite himself.  
And still worried. Very worried. The concern and near-panic of Jean being hurt was flowing off him in almost palpable waves.  
"He didn't hurt me, Scott." Her voice was gentle. "I don't think he would have even if Charles hadn't intervented. He just had to get out of the lab..."  
"What?" Despite himself, the young man stared at her. "Why, Jean? He could have..."  
"But he didn't." Jean regarded him with loving patience. "He's not a murderer."  
"But..."  
"Scott, he had every oppertunity to kill me. Charles even told me that he has a powerful natural shield, something he's never seen. He could have kept even _him _out, much less me. But he let me go. Not even a bruise." She tapped the side of her forehead, the place he'd placed his knuckles. Where his claws could have torn her head off.  
He moved forward, wrapping his arms around her protectively.  
"And he does register as a powerful mutant. One of the strongest I've ever seen."  
"For a healing factor?" Scott had not lifted his face from Jean's hair, and only she felt the tremors running up and down his body.  
"Perhaps there are hidden depths to him we know nothing of." suggested Xavier, gently. He considered, then murmered, "Perhaps even unknown to him."

Mutie was in a nightmare. She knew it was the First Place because she was a baby, just barely able to walk. It was a bright afternoon, with a light blue sky and soft white clouds high in the sky.  
But...  
The man said he was her father, and took her away to a cold place where he gave her two bowls - one with water, the other with mushy food that smelled so bad it made her stomach clinch.  
And he hit her.  
She remembered shadows on the wall, a voice colder than the outside, pain and fear and -  
Wanting to please him, to make him stop.  
It hurt, when he hit, when he hurt her, and he would laugh, a sound that made her bolt awake, crying out reflexively, the pain in her throat reducing it to a gagging squeak.  
A hand touched her shoulder, sounds were being made.  
The touch was warm, the voice soft and gentle.  
She looked up into eyes of brown and gold - like leaves, like the leaf she had kept before the woman had made her throw it away, and she tried not to cry, sniffed hard to hold them in.

The kid's thrashing had stopped, and her cry was somehow more painful for it's near-unintelligability.  
Logan held her hand, rested the other on her shoulder.  
"Wwwghhn." she tried for his name as tears spilled down her cheeks. After hearing the hard sniffle, he did something he had never thought possible for him.  
He picked the little girl up and held her on his lap, rocked her against his shoulder as tears dampened his shirt, made soft soothing noises.  
And realized that somehow, he would protect this kid.  
He felt a tiny flutter of warmth glow brighter in his chest and he realized with wonder that she meant so much to him he - couldn't - leave.  
Not without the little girl that's only name was an ephitet.  
Logan held her gently until she stopped sobbing, crooning a melody he remembered from - somewhere.  
His voice was soft as he sang the words, rocking her until the trembling stopped, the tears eased.

_In a cabin in the woods_  
_ Little man by the window stood_  
_ Saw a rabbit hopping by_  
_ Knocking at his door  
_  
_ "Help me, help me, help", she cried_  
_ Or the hunter will shoot me dead!"_  
_ Little rabbit come inside_  
_ Safely to abide  
_  
_Safely to abide...  
_  
She nestled closer to him, breath evening out into sleep again as he smoothed her hair and rested his stubbled cheek against it. Somehow gaining comfort himself from the child in his arms.  
_ Geez, how can I...I don't_....the thoughts were like rapidly-spinning knives, too sharp and real to be ignored, too bright to be knocked aside. Honesty made him tell himself_, You love this kid, old man_.  
And he did.  
_ God, if he's out there, help us both. I do_. he thought, the fear for once smothered by a quiet warmth_. Well now what the hell do I do?_


	5. Safe Haven

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter Five: _Safe Haven

Author: The Mad Techie  
Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

Mutie woke up in Logan's warm, strong arms and rested her cheek against the warm flannel shirt.  
She was content to stay there, listening to him breathe and the beat of his heart, and was a little startled to hear his voice say, "Mornin', kid."  
"M'wning, Wogan." she managed to get out.  
The little girl rubbed then blinked her eyes, watching Logan's gaze turn toward the door a few moments before there was a discreet knock.  
"Yeah?" Logan answered for them both.  
"Professor Xavier would like to see you and Mutie." said the voice of sunglasses-wearing young man, in a tone of command.  
Logan snorted, lifting Mutie effortlessly and starting toward the door.  
"Kid needs breakfast." he said, opening the door to regard the boy with a faint, dangerous grin. "So he can wait."  
"He said..."  
The older mutant ignored him as he started down the stairs, Mutie still in his arms.  
Scott frowned, then sighed, and started back to Xavier's office.  
_Let them eat breakfast, Scott. The child is as hungry as another child I once knew._  
Despite himself, Scott smiled faintly at the words.

Mutie shovelled eggs into her mouth so fast that Logan several times gently tapped her shoulder to slow her speed. She would look up at him, pausing, then return to hugrily consuming her food.  
When sleepy voices started to sound, the little girl grew uncomfortable, nervous, as she heard them, turning to Logan with the first flickers of fear in her eyes.  
"Don't worry, kid. Eatcher breakfast." the older mutant said, watching as kids - mostly teen-agers - began to stream in and out of the kitchen, voices growing louder as they woke up.  
When Mutie was finished, Logan scooped her up easily, feeling the small body resting against him trustingly.  
_Logan, may I see you and Mutie in my office? _the mental voice still made him stiffen a bit, lightly touching Mutie's back in reassurance.  
Two of the girls, probably in their late teens, were staring at Logan's back as he turned to the stairs, and he ignored them, heading with easy grace up the stairs.

"Good morning, Logan, Mutie." said Xavier, with a gentle smile.  
The little girl responded by almost huddling against Logan's chest, hiding her eyes.  
The man in the wheelchair still made her want to edge away, to hide.  
Logan's arm came up to hold her gently, and she tried to be brave, to not cry.  
Everything was so confusing, with the white-haired lady who let her eat as much as she wanted to the lady with hair that looked like fire and wanted her to stand near machines - and the man with strange glasses, who acted as though Logan might be Bad.  
But he wasn't Bad, if he was Bad he would have...  
Mutie sucked in her breath and forced herself not to think about that.  
She wasn't going back, not ever!  
What if the man in the wheelchair wanted to send her back?  
That thought nearly brought on a panic-attack and she clung tighter to Logan, feeling the faint movement as he breathed.  
"I'd like to see Mutie in some classes..."  
Frantic shaking of the little girl's head made everyone look at her, and she lowered her eyes.  
People got angry when you looked them in the eyes.  
"It's okay, kid." Logan's touch was reassuring. "They ain't gonna hurtcha."  
Mutie looked up at him, wanting to belive him - and afraid to.  
"Mutie?"  
The little girl turned to regard the wheelchair-bound man, wondering if he could tilt back and fly along the ground ike Ol' Jim could. Before...  
She swallowed hard and managed not to cry.  
"Would you like to meet some of the other children?"  
The little girl shook her head again, and tried to stay out of the adults' conversation.  
"Logan, have you decided to stay?" Xavier tactfully changed the focus of his conversation. He knew that the child was frightened, and he was anxious not to add to that fear.  
"Fer now." the reply was accompanied by the raising of one eyebrow as the young man with red-sunglasses regarded the newcomer with a searching look.  
"The room next to Mutie's is empty," the red-haired woman commented, obviously sensing the tension in the air. Her smile was warm and friendly, kind and gentle.  
Logan just nodded.  
"Perhaps we can persuade your young companion to meet some of our younger students." Xavier suggested.  
"If she wants." Logan understood privacy. He also understood that Xavier wanted something.  
From both of them.  
He frowned, unconciously holding the small girl a bit tighter.  
His instincts told him Xavier wasn't a bad person, but he wasn't taking any chances. So he changed the subject a bit. "You got kids here?" Not really a question, slightly more than a comment.  
Mutie looked up at Logan, puzzled.  
"None as young as Mutie, but yes, several of our students are in fourth and fifth grade."  
Ororo chose that moment to enter the room, smiling a greeting at Xavier, and looking suprised when Mutie huddled further back into the leather seat. Without saying anything to the others, the young woman came over and knelt down to be on the frightened child's eye level.  
"Mutie, you don't have to be afraid here. We're all different, and no-one is going to hurt you or make fun of you because you're different."  
The little girl looked tentative. "Dffrnt?" It came out a whispery kind of lisp.  
"Yes, different." She smiled up at Logan, who kept an arm around the child but was listening with some intrest. "I'm a mutant, do you know what that means?"  
"Mwtnt is a bwd wherd." the child replied, uncertainly.  
"No, it's not." The young woman indicated her snow-white hair. "I have white hair, that's different for most people, isn't it?"  
Mutie nodded solumnly.  
"And I can do very special things because I am different."  
The child looked curious.  
Still smiling gently, Ororo closed her eyes a moment. Seconds later, a gentle rain began to fall outside, whispering against the window.  
Mutie's eyes were huge. "Yw cahn mahk it rayhhn?" she asked, obviously amazed at the demonstration.  
"I can make the weather do what I wish." Ororo replied. "They also call me Storm."  
The little girl looked uncomfortable. "Efferyone hhre iis dffrnt?" she asked.  
"Most of the students and teachers are, yes."  
Logan was watching the exchange, feeling an odd - protectiveness. It was still so strange, the attachment he felt for the child that leaned against him.  
Mutie looked down. "I ahm dffrnt too." she said, tears on her cheeks.  
"Yeah. You are." Logan answered before anyone else could. He lightly touched Mutie's cheek as she looked up at him. "Ain't nothin' wrong with bein' different, kid."  
"Pehple dhon't lihk dffrnt."  
"Only the idiots." growled Logan, and the girl felt a reassuring pressure.  
Mutie still didn't know what the other people wanted from her.  
Xavier spoke up, his voice reassuring and kind. "We'd like to get to know you better, child." he said. Despite the claim that the word was her name, he found using an ephitet to refer to the frightened little girl bordering on nauseating.  
"Why?"  
"Because to be different is also to be special."


	6. For Always

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter Six: _For Always

Author: The Mad Techie  
Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

Mutie wasn't exactly sure about the adults around her, except that Logan was there and he would know the right thing to do.  
The discussion flowed around her, and the child looked around carefully, seeing the stone heads and books, the big desk and finally looked at the window, where a gentle rain was falling.  
"...And perhaps we can find some activites for your companion while you are here..." the Professor was saying, and Mutie looked up uncertianly.  
"Mutie." she said, voice quavering only a little. "Mwy nahm is Mutie."  
Logan didn't make fun or disagree, he just held her a little closer, a little tighter, while the Professor and the red-haired woman - Jean - glanced at one another.  
Biting her lip, Mutie tried not to cry.

Logan held the little girl against his chest and almost unconciously stroked her hair. Though normally he would have refused to stay anywhere, be held down by anything, he knew that Mutie needed time to recover from her injuries.  
And he would stay with her, then they'd both go.  
A gentle warmth touched his chest as he thought of the huge, innocent eyes tilted trustingly up to him, the small body curled against him.  
The complete faith in him.  
"We'll stay, fer now." Logan said, in answer to Xavier's question.  
Largely ignorting Xavier's spiel on the neccessity of mutant-human co-existance, he ran his fingertips along the bandage Mutie was wearing, noticing the faint scent of copper-metallic that indicated cuts and abrasions, the edge of the child's bird-thin bones.  
His vauge memory of the huge, vaguely feline form batting her aside made him want to snarl, but he just held Mutie a bit tighter, aware that she had buried her face in his old, battered, blue-jeans jacket.  
"It's gonna be all right, kid." he said, and Ororo looked over at him and smiled.  
Mutie nodded, lip held between her teeth, trying not to cry.  
Logan lifted her, rocked her absently as he rose, and started to the door.  
The boy, Summers, stood as well, and blocked his way.  
"Scott uses the code-name Cyclops." said Xavier, regarding the boy with obvious pride.  
Logan regarded the boy with a faint snarl. "Whattathey call you, then, Wheels?" he asked. He wouldn't be part of this game, he wasn't making any promises to join in their idealistic mission to save the world.  
He was only concerned with Mutie, and that made his heart give a funny little flutter.  
Xavier's smile faltered a bit and Summers took a step toward Logan, who smiled wolfishly. "Ya wanna get outta my way?" he asked, voice warning.  
Reluctantly, the boy stepped aside, and Logan stalked out the door, holding Mutie a bit closer.  
He heard Xavier tell the boy, "Settle this," and almost laughed.  
Right. Settle this. Settle that the kid had already judged him, and Logan really didn't give a damn.  
"Wghn?" Mutie's voice was soft.  
"Yeah, darlin'?" he returned, and felt an internal shock.  
He _never _called _anyone _darling.  
Ever.  
Well, not that he could remember, and he had the feeling using the word had been so rare it might have been unheard of.  
Even before...  
Before.  
"Wghn...angwy?" Tentative little voice, but her eyes were tipped up to meet his, anxious now.  
"Not at ya, darlin'" he soothed, and the tension in his chest became a soft warmth. "They want somethin' I ain't so sure I'm ready ta give."  
"Wghn...." she hesitated a moment, then brought her tiny hand up to lightly touch his sideburns, then lowered her hand to his chest, over his heart. "I whyll wuhv yhu fowever...."  
Logan held her tight, and felt a strange but reassuring warmth rise through him. "Yeah, kid. Me too."  
He didn't know why, or how, but he loved the little girl with almost frightening intensity.  
Not the rage that burned through him sometimes, needing immense efforts of control to hold in check, but a soft, warm_, real _feeling that was strangely soothing.  
A small part of him was confused, and _- say it _- all right, even a little frightened.  
He didn't make emotional connections often.  
In fact, the few he remembered were based on rage and feral fury.  
But Mutie - the feelings were all new, and he felt not lessened or guarded, not enraged or savage, but warm and safe in the emotions that she evoked.  
"C'mon, darlin'." he said, silently enjoying the use of the second word, the gentle pulse in his heart. "Let's get ya cleaned up and inta bed."  
"Whyl ywo stahy wif me?" her voice shook a little.  
"Yeah, darlin'. I won't leave ya." he promised. And he kept his promises. His word was vital to him, he vaugely remembered that he had always felt that way.  
Mutie put her head against his shoulder and gave a little sound of contentment.  
Some of the young students came hurrying past, books in hand, and Logan dodged them effortlessly, making his way to Mutie's room, and noticed she'd fallen asleep.  
Settling into the chair, he held her silently, staring out of the window, at the huge tree that was outside her window, and most probably the window of the room he'd been given.  
Logan rocked her, and began to sing softly to her as she stirred to the rhythem of a bad dream.

_ Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,_  
_ Smiles await you when you rise._  
_ Sleep,_  
_ Pretty baby,_  
_ Do not cry,_  
_ And I will sing a lullaby.  
_  
_ Cares you know not,_  
_ Therefore sleep,_  
_ While over you a watch I'll keep._  
_ Sleep,_  
_ Pretty darling,_  
_ Do not cry,_  
_ And I will sing a lullaby.  
_  
Mutie quieted, and Logan held her gently, and watched the tree move faintly, a slow and stately dance in the wind.  
Logan closed his eyes as well, but did not sleep.  
Instead, he listened to the dance of the wind and the faint rustle of rain against the windows, and the soft song of Mutie's sleep-mild breathing.  
He was aware that someone - his senstive nose told him it was Ororo - had paused then moved past the door.  
But he ignored her, focused on the wind and rain and soft tang of the dew-dappled tree outside, remaining alert but not ignoring the gentle beauty of nature.

Ororo Munroe made her way up to her room, a bit shaken.  
She had never imagined, not in her wildest imagination, that the dangerous, brooding, even somewhat surly newcomer could sing so gently to a frightened child. Not with such a beautiful, strong voice, one that held such hidden passion.  
She stroked the rosebush near the window lightly, with one fingertip, and thought absently that perhaps, just perhaps, Logan was much like it. Beauty hidden by sharp thorns. Mystery in the hidden places under the shielding leaves.  
Then she blushed, a bit embarassed.  
Logan was a loner, and who and what he was was none of her business.  
Yet still, the beautiful, deep red of one of her roses had her staring at it for a long, long time.


	7. Clean

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter Seven: _Clean

Author: The Mad Techie  
Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

The child calling herself Mutie didn't want to wake up. She was safe and warm and happy and she did _not _want to wake up - until the dream turned to the Bad Place.  
Her as a baby, huddled against a wall, blood and fear and shame - claws over her head, shadows spreading open, laughter that was not funny or nice, but ugly and mean.  
Mutie woke choking on her screams.

Logan jerked from half-sleep when the tiny child in his arms began to thrash and cry. Tiny hands clutched his jacket in desperation, as if all the safety in the world was there.  
"It's okay, darlin'. I'm here." he murmered, cuddling her against his chest.  
"Wghn!" Mutie's eyes flew open, body trembling uncontrollably. "I'wm sowwy, I'm sowwy, I'wll be gwd..."  
CRASH!  
Wall-hangings shattered on the floor as the child's hysterical pleas gave way to sobs.  
Logan heard the thumps of footfalls, and snarled involentarily at the door as he rocked the child.  
"It's okay, darlin', you ain't done anything wrong." he stroked her hair out of the huge eyes.  
The child collapsed into tears, smelling of sheer terror and desperation.  
"Are you okay in there?" The kid, Summers, was calling.  
Mutie was trembling, but Logan's gentle touches and soft voice were soothing the child, he could feel as well as smell her calming - until she heard Scott's voice.  
Logan rested a hand on her back, rubbing gently and comfortingly.  
"Yeah, we're fine." he returned, and heard the shifting feet, followed by him moving away.  
Mutie was calming, and Logan gently opened her hands and held them in his, warming them.  
"I'wm sowwy." the child wavered, sniffling and trying to regain control of himself.  
"It's okay, darlin'. Bad dream?" he smoothed the tiny girl's hair out of her eyes.  
Mutie's nod was shaky at best.  
"I know about that." Using his fingertip, he tilted the child's chin up and stared into her eyes. "Ya need to cry, I'll be right here."  
Mutie sniffled again, eyes wide, and clung to his hand.  
Finally, the child looked down, then up, murmering tentatively, "Iwm...diwty."  
Logan stood, taking small hand in his, and replied, "Let's getcha somethin' to eat, darlin'." He stroked her hair out of her eyes again. "Then we'll deal with that, okay?"  
"Owkay, Wghn." the child replied, walking with him out the door.

Ororo was serving breakfast to the younger students when Logan came down the stairs, walking slowly enough for the small child to keep up.  
"Miz Munroe! Can I have more pancakes?" a perhaps twelve-year-old boy asked.  
"Can I have some sausage?" Another boy asked, a year or so older than the previous speaker.  
"I want some toast!" The speaker was a brown-haired teen-age girl.  
Mutie was hiding behind Logan's legs, frightened by the early morning chatter.  
Once the children were happily devouring their meal, Ororo set a stack of plates in the sink and turned to regard Logan and Mutie with a warm and welcoming smile. "Good morning." she said.  
"Mornin'." returned Logan, gruffly civil.  
Ororo walked over and knelt down in front of Mutie, aware of the tiny intake of breath and the child's attempt to shy away.  
Logan's gaze was sharp, reminding the woman of a hawk watching over it's young.  
"Good morning, Mutie." said Ororo, smiling warmly at the frightened little girl. "Would you like some pancakes? Or some sausage?"  
Mutie shook her head and looked away, nervously.  
"Sweetheart, it's all right." Ororo said, gently. "You're safe, no-one will hurt you here."  
Several of the kids were watching curiously, but looked away when Logan scowled at them, crouching down to hold the child gently.  
"It's nice and hot, would you like a plate?" Ororo wasn't giving up. The child was still filthy, a fact which brought more of a sense of concern than revulsion to the young woman.  
Mutie looked uncertainly up at Logan, then back at Ororo.  
"Couple pancakes and sausage." said the tall, feral man, reassuringly touching the child's shoulder.  
"And some juice?" coaxed Ororo, eyes never leaving Mutie's.  
"Iwm d-diwty...." Mutie's voice was tiny, frightened, as she looked down at her feet.  
"Well, let's get you some breakfast, then we'll get you cleaned up, all right?"  
"Wghn?" Mutie looked up at him, seeking approval - and perhaps comfort.  
"C'mon, darlin'." he said, nodding to Ororo as he coaxed the shy child to the table. Lifting her fragile body up into a chair, he wrapped two pancakes around sausage and set them down in front of her.  
Mutie picked up one and bit into it, barely chewing as she shoved the entire combination into her mouth and swallowed, reaching for the next one.  
Ororo reached out to touch the child's hand, and felt a strange tingle spark over her own hand.  
Careful to not show any sign of the occurance, she smiled reassuringly as Logan simply wrapped a pancake around two sausages and bit into it, eyes wary and observant.  
"Easy, darlin'." Logan said quietly, lightly touching Mutie's shoulder. "I don't want ya to choke, okay?"  
Obediantly, Mutie slowed down, chewing more slowly as she stared at her plate.  
Some of the kids were whispering, but the child did not look up.  
She knew she was different.  
The man in the chair like Ol' Jim's said different was not bad, but she had always been told, and told and _told_ that different was _bad._  
So she tried to make herself very small and not cry.

"She ain't happy bein' dirty. Needs a bath, and clean sheets." Logan said, curtly. He watched the dark-skinned woman carefully, watching for any sign of disapproval of the child.  
He didn't much give a damn what anyone thought of him.  
"Of course." Ororo smiled at the man despite his almost surly attitude.  
It was difficult to see him as harsh as he intended once she had heard him singing to the child now eating slowly at the table.  
"If she needs any help, I'll be nearby." Ororo reassured the man, and he regarded her steadily. Clearly, he saw nothing wrong with helping the little girl, and truly, neither did she. But the Professor and Scott could be very difficult about such things, and she was determined not to frighten Mutie any more - or push Logan away.  
The moment the second consideration entered her mind, she was a bit startled.  
Not that she had no wish to alianate a fellow mutant.  
But that she did not want _Logan _to be alianated.

"I downt w-wahnt awnyone to s-see me." Mutie was saying, cheek against Logan's chest. "Pweese?"  
"Me and Ororo's gonna be right out here if ya need somethin'." said the man, running a fingertip gently down the bruised cheek. He found a huge, fluffy towel on the bed and a washcloth folded neatly on top. Carefully, he gathered up a small bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap, along with a child's toothbrush and a tube of fruit-flavored toothpaste, and placed it in the child's tiny hands. "You call if you need us, okay?"  
The child nodded, a little nervously, and walked to the bathroom door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and walked inside.

Logan settled into the chair, and Ororo took another, sitting facing the man.  
"I'm very sorry about your truck." she said, after a moment's silence.  
His gaze was steady as he just shrugged, smelling the machine-flat clean of the sheets.  
She sighed inwardly, then continued determinedly, "If we had gotten there quicker, perhaps we might have saved it."  
"Maybe." Logan's tone was low and almost rumbling.  
Encouraged, Ororo said softly, "I'm glad you are all right, Mr. Logan."  
"It's just Logan."  
"Logan...?"  
"Logan." A pause, just for a beat. "Ain't no more to it."  
_I think there is _**much **_more to it. _Ororo thought, sensing the tension in the man's long body.  
"I hope you will stay here, at least for a while." Ororo tactfully changed the subject.  
Logan snorted. "Look, I'm not intrested in fighting your damn war." he got to his feet, faced the window, muscles tense.  
Somehow, that facinated her, and she felt a brief embarassment. He reminded her of some great jungle cat, surveying his realm.  
"I cannot speak for everyone else, but I'd like to see you stay here until you can find some other mode of transportation." she realized she was trying to be delicate. The remains of the ancient truck she had glimpsed just didn't do him justice.  
_Goddess, what's wrong with me? _she thought, suprised at herself. _Why am I so anxious for him to stay?  
_  
Mutie stared around the big room, blinking in the bright lights and glancing nervously at the big mirror on the wall. She saw a grey plastic stool in the corner and carefully moved it away from the wall, placing the towel and washcloth on it.  
Turning, she stood on tiptoe and placed the toothbrush and tube of toothpaste up on the counter, near the sparkling-clean metal sink.  
She was a little suprised to find a pair of grey sweatpants and a short-sleeved shirt, along with clean white underwear, folded over the towel rack - they were a little big, but so soft, and so clean!  
Taking a deep breath, the little girl looked worriedly back at the door. She knew it wasn't locked - then she relaxed a little. Logan was out there.  
The old shirt tore as it went over her head, and she tried to fold it right. But she was not so good at folding, and when she tugged off her pants, the little girl wadded them together and hoped no one would be angry as she set them on the floor.  
Naked, she pushed aside the plastic curtain and turned first one metal circle then the other, pulling her hand back in suprise when she felt the pleasent warmth.  
Climbing over the white porcilen, she tucked the plastic inside the tub then pulled up the stop on the top of the spout and felt the flecks of water against her skin. Reaching through the side of the curtain, she grabbed the soap and washcloth, and began to scrub ruthlessly, feeling tears well up as she hit the places that always hurt.  
But she scrubbed and scrubbed until the water was brown and all the dirt was off her skin. Then she got the bottle of shampoo and hesitated.  
Difference was bad.  
But...  
Logan had said she could be clean, so she would.  
Even if they laughed.  
So she worked the thick flowery-smelling substance into her hair and winced when snarls fell loose as she cleaned. When she was done, she knelt down and scrubbed the tub for a long time, until her shoulders ached and her arms felt too weak to move.  
Panting, Mutie climed out and carefully dried herself, suprised at the color of her skin, but quickly turned away from the mirror, reddening at what she saw.  
She pulled on the underwear and pants, then the shirt, gathered up the dirty rags and threw them in the garbage can.  
Then she used the brand-new toothbrush and paste to clean her teeth and mouth, keeping her gaze away from her reflection, and put them away as neatly as she could.  
Mutie hung up the towel and washcloth, put the crumbly remains of the soap in the trash, and the shampoo back up on the counter, hands trembling.  
Taking a deep breath, she went to the entrance, hesitated, and opened the door.

As the door opend and Mutie - clean and damp from the shower Logan's nose told him - tentatively stepped into the light, he moved over and reassuringly rested a hand on her shoulder, watching her bright gold-amber eyes tip up to him.  
It was then the moonlight caught her hair, and both he and Ororo were suprised, the woman more than the man.  
For the little girl's hair was fair, pale.  
More than merely pale.  
Mutie's hair was poorly, raggedly cut, not reaching past her neck -  
And stark, silvery-white.


	8. Just a Feeling

**MUTIE**  
_ Chapter Eight: _Just a Feeling

Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

Mutie saw the tall lady stare at her and looked away, then down. Involentarily, despite her best efforts, her lower lip began to tremble.  
Different was _bad..._  
"Hey, darlin'." the baritone tones were gentle, and Mutie's eyes tipped up to stare into brown-gold ones. "It's okay."  
The little girl nodded meekly, edging out of the woman's range, afraid now.  
After all, the woman could make it _rain, _if she got really upset -  
"Oh, Mutie, I'm sorry." said Ororo, crouching down to be on eye-level with the frightened child. "I didn't mean to stare." She smiled reassuringly, and Mutie felt the light touch of Logan on her shoulder, warm and real. "Do you feel better now?"  
A little less fearful, Mutie nodded, looking up at Logan with eyes that shone with trust and love, so bright the stars might have wept with jeleousy.  
Logan scooped her up and held her, aware of her rubbing her eyes and sleepy press of her cheek against his chest as she closed her eyes, safe in his arms.  
Ororo spoke softly as the man settled into the chair, rocking the little girl unconciously. "She's ready for a nap, I see." It seemed a little self-evident, but once she had met the pair, the weather mutant found it suprisingly difficult to leave.  
"Yeah." Logan said, as Mutie snuggled against him, asleep in seconds. He patted her back and settled comfortably.  
"We normally have lunch or brunch at noon." she said, wondering why she was so - comfortable - in the gruff newcomer's presence.  
The man glanced up at her, then shrugged.  
"I hope you will join us." Ororo said, in a soft, friendly tone.  
"Maybe." Logan said, simply, as Mutie stirred in her sleep, still uneasy about committing to anything, to any of these people.  
Ororo nodded, smiled reassuringly, and slipped through the door. As she walked down the hallway, she wondered why she felt suddenly lonely, and laughed at herself silently. _Foolish one, you're tired, you need to see to the children..._  
And she almost belived it.  
But not quite.

"Has anyone seen the new girl?" asked one of the youngsters at the table. Max was ten, one of the youngest of the group. He dunked a Teddy Graham in milk, and let it rise up to his finger as he waited for any response.  
"Yeah, when she peeked out from behind that new guy's legs." Brant quipped. He was fifteen, and quite proud of being the oldest of the five.  
There was a general ripple of laughter, part nervous, part simply _childhood._  
"I wonder when she'll start school?" asked Abby, one of the girls. She was wearing her sun shirt, which she always did on Thursdays. She absently stacked her graham crackers neatly into two stacks and began to eat slowly.  
"I dunno," replied Sharon, the oldest of the group. "But she's just a baby."  
"I wonder what her pow...gifts are." Abby was not the only one curious about that.  
"She's pretty little to have any now, isn't she?" Max asked, rescuing another graham bear only to pop it into his mouth.  
"Yeah, probably not a strong one like mine." Brant said, puffing out his chest proudly.  
Max shrugged uncomfortably as St. John and Bobby, two of the older boys, came in and poured themselves glasses of milk and orange juice respectively.  
"I say we introduce ourselves." said Abby, primly. "It's the polite thing to do."  
There was a flurry of nods as the younger kids finished their snack and headed back to the schoolrooms.

Mutie woke up twice, briefly, then fell back to sleep before even opening her eyes.  
Logan stared out the window, past the softly waving treelimbs. His senses picked up several people, some quite young, and he frowned.  
Part of him still couldn't belive that he was holding a tiny child that loved him so much, or the little disappointed shock as he tucked her gently into the bed, the empty feeling in his arms.  
It still confused him, a confusion not followed by irritation this time, that he felt so strongly toward the fragile child. Much less that he loved her so easily.  
Another part of him simply accepted it and counted his blessings.  
He hadn't had many in his life - even a swiss-cheese memory like he had didn't hide that - so he found himself just - relazing into it.  
Loving her wasn't the hardest part.  
It was letting himself be loved _by _her.  
He was debating this with himself when finally sleep claimed him.

Mutie woke up to hear the steady-sleep breathing of Logan, and carefully climbed down from the bed, feeling the familiar ache in the back of her throat.  
Thirst drove her to carefully reach up - she had to stand on tiptoe - to open the door, not wanting to wake the sleeping man up - and start tentatively down the hallway.  
She didn't want to be seen.  
Edging around the corner, she saw several children, all older than her, sitting at a table and hesitated. She was so thirsty, and yet...  
She didn't want to be _seen._  
Taking a deep breath, she started back up the stairs, but bumped accidentally into the red-haired doctor woman Mutie remembered from before.  
With a squeak of suprise and fright, the child skittered backwards, and felt gentle hands lift her.  
"Are you all right, sweetheart, I..." Jean Grey's eyes unfocused and a look of disbelief crossed her beautiful features.  
Mutie felt like her head might explode. Everything got so _loud, _and it _hurt, _and she could only scramble desperately to get _away _from it, curling into a ball.  
Words skittered from the child's lips, things that made no sense, until she settled on one and sobbed it like a chant. "Wghn...Wghnwhgnwgn...hwlp me, pweese hwlp me...."  
Then she was drowning in the soundless noise, the scrabbling on her skin, the confusion.  
Crying out desperately one last time, Mutie collapsed, eyes squeezed tightly shut, stomach heaving, body shaking.  
_What's wrong with me? _her last, fragmented thought was, as the shadows came up and swallowed her. _It's not part of..._  
Then there was silence.  
It had just been....a feeling.


	9. What Lies Hidden

**MUTIE  
**_ Chapter Nine: _What Lies Hidden

Series: Maybe  
World: Alternative Moviefic  
Characters: Logan, Original Character, The X-Men, Magneto, Sabertooth, Toad, etc.  
Pairing: Logan/Ororo, Scott/Jean  
Synopsis: A cage-fighter calling himself the Wolverine meets someone who will change his life forever.  
Feedback: Pleeeease? :)  
E-Mail:

Mutie felt herself laying on a cold-clean table and heard the red-haired woman - _Jean, _she whispered to herself, remembering in a hazy kind of way - talking to LOgan.  
Logan was there, she could smell the faint scent of his jacket as she kept her eyes squeezed closed.  
She was cold, and confused, and when she opened her eyes a tiny crack she saw a big machine over her. Frightened now, the tiny girl rolled frantically, and almost fell to the floor, but for Logan catching her in an amazingly fast movement.  
"Darlin', open your eyes." he whispered, cradling her in his arms, voice soft and soothing.  
Mutie obeyed, squeeking in suprise at the bright light. "Wogan!" she managed, burying her face in his denim jacket.  
"I'll look over the readings I managed to get and let you know." Jean said, smiling nicely at Mutie, who just then began to tremble.  
Logan glanced darkly over at the woman, the doctor, and znorted. "She needs a good rest, not a buncha tests." he snapped, eyes dark with a combination of concern and irritation.  
Jean looked startled, turning to fully face Logan - and Mutie, who looked up then away so fast her neck ached in protest.  
"Logan," she said, in a tone Mutie recognized - a doctor-talking-to voice, "she is a mutant, and our tests can help her learn to control her gifts..." As she was speaking, a vial rose and floated to her hand.  
Mutie's head ballooned, and she couldn't supress a whimper as Logan and Jean both felt a strange shiver aroound their bodies.

Logan looked down at the reading in front of Jean as the vial plummeted to the floor, glass breaking as it hit. Some sort of brainwave pattern, he noted, without fully understanding how he knew that.  
"Bio-readings and brainwave activity are off the charts." Jean said, expression puzzled. She had not telekenetically "dropped" anything since she was sixteen years old. She stared at the remains, willing it to rise - but nothing happened.  
Logan watched the woman's mouth make an "O" of concern, then glanced over at the fragments, irritated but not fully _angry, _not yet anyway - and the glass was crushed by an unseen fist.  
"What just happened?" asked Jean, looking at the readings in confusion. "This can't be right..."  
"You want _anything _outta the kid, you talk to me," Logan growled, though a tiny part of him was puzzled. Why had the glass shattered, just as he was wishing he could stomp on what scared Mutie so badly.  
"I need to talk to the Professor..."  
"What?" demanded the man known mostly as Wolverine.  
"Because according to this, I'm not a mutant and you just used telekenesis."

Mutie was terrified.  
Logan was angry, Jean was upset, it was her fault, what could she do?  
Shaking in Logan's gentle grasp, it all came to a head in a massive sob, followed by a torrent of tears. "Ih'm sowry, pwease, I didn't mean it..." she managed, and Jean looked over at her.  
Was it possible Mutie - took away her power? Then gave it to Logan?  
Quickly, she checked the genetic sequencer - no errors. Her DNA had undergone massive editing, to remove the mutant gene.  
Mutie flinched as she picked up a hypodermic needle and turned to the man holding the child. "Could I take another sample from you, Mr. Logan? It won't hurt you..."  
A twitch of a smile, dark and rather ironic. "You think she altered us somehow." It wasn't a question.  
"I...how...?"  
"Can smell the difference, besides, I've seen something like that thing," he indicated the scanner, "before." He set Mutie gently down, crouching to look into her eyes. "Darlin', it's okay." he soothed, then continued as Jean opened her mouth to say something. "Can ya put things back the way they were?"  
Mutie was shaking, but looked down. "Uh-hwh." she said, timidly, sniffling.  
"Okay, let'd do that, darlin'." Logan encouraged, arms still around her.  
Mutie looked up at Logan, then at the red-haired doctor lady. "Owkay." she whispered, and again, the pair felt the shiver along their spines, then the scanners all went off.  
Without a word, Logan scooped her up again and started out the door. He didn't think he _wanted _telekenisis. His own "gifts" gave him enough trouble, but he didn't blame Mutie. She was just a little kid, and besides - he realized he was relived.  
At least this told them what her mutation was.  
As he left Jean was lifting a syringe without touching it, taking it from mid-air as it reached the height of her chest, a peculiar expression on her face.

Professor Xavier put down his pen and said, "She does what?"  
"She edits genes - apparently at whim." Jean said, setting down her clipboard and regarding the wheelchair-bound man with affection. "Whole genetic structures - what worries me is that she doesn't understand what she is doing. What if she were to change one of the children?" "Perhaps hee ability was triggered by fright." suggested Xavier. "It would certianly not be the first time a youngster used their gift when under intense emotion."  
"She's so little, Professor. Almost a baby." interjected Scott, who had been checking over lesson plans with Xavier when Jean arrived. "How do we restrain her from maybe taking a gift or two and giving them to herself or that guy she's with?"  
"As we do all the younger children. With patience, affection, and tolerance." Xavier replied, a little sternly.

An hour after the ordeal, Mutie was still shaken and wouldn't lift her face from Logan's chest. The denim was becoming a little damp, but Logan simply rocked her gently, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her.  
_I am Bad. _Mutie thought, mournfully. _What I did was Bad. I almost hurt Logan! _This brought on a fit of shivers until the object of her concern spoke up.  
"It's okay, darlin'. You just reacted to what was happening. Everyone's okay." he comforted.  
"Yowe're noht mahd at me?" Very timidly, and with an expression of such love and pain that even Logan's heart melted immediately.  
"Nah, I'm not mad. It's okay." He used one finger to gently tilt the little girl's head back, looked down into the big, golden-amber eyes. "It's okay, darlin'."  
Immensely relived, Mutie set her cheek against Logan's jacket and in minutes was fast asleep, exausted by the last hour.  
Logan held her, and carried her up to her room, tucked the tiny form beneath the sheets, and settled in the chair next to the bed. Tommarrow, he didn't doubt, would bring a barrage of questions and concern, but he would stay with her, at this place - until Mutie healed, then they'd leave. Go somewhere quiet, where she could be safe and without fear.  
Maybe back to Canada, he vaugely remembered a cabin there.  
His cabin.  
Then, he thought, _Our cabin.  
_Right now they were hidden, safe, but Logan was not intending to live his life - much less force Mutie to live her's - indebted to people determined to fight some holy crusade.  
He was free, and he intended to raise Mutie the same.  
That caused both a double-take and a warm glow in his heart.  
Not because it wasn't true.  
Because it was.


End file.
